Help! I am a first time cloth-diapering mom. We've been cloth diapering for about 4 months now, and the smell is becoming unbearable. Am I doing something wrong? I wash them at least every three days and don't use too much detergent (I don't think). Occasionally I use bleach, and/or wash them on an extra cycle. They still wreak. Any ideas or tips would be most helpful as I don't want to stop. Thanks.
Bumgenius sells an odor spray that works well. Make sure you are rinsing ALL the detergent out. That is a bigger problem than anything else. PM me if you have other questions. We've been doing it for almost 2 years now.
I used a diaper service to wash mine, but I know they did several washes for each load of diapers... not just one.
So I'd say that should be part of your practice each time. Two washes for each load. And try vinegar in the rinse water. It really takes out smells and helps soften the clothes. Another Mamasource mom posted the vinegar idea for just regular clothes, and I've tried it and it works.
also let them bleach in the sun instead of using bleach, the sun will help get the smell out too,
make sure that your water is very hot, if you dont think that it is & dont want to turn up your water heater, my grandma says that they used to boil the diapers on the stove to get them very hot, to kill all the bacteria
you can also let them soak in vinegar & baking soda before you wash
& also i would use a little tea tree oil, it is an antibacterial
Hi Jessica,
They are smelling because there is still bacteria present. This is what I suggest. Strip them first: Start with clean diapers, wash on the hottest water you can with no detergent, you might want to boil some water and add it in with the hottest water your machine can provide. Watch them in the rinse cycle and see if you see any soap bubbles. If so, keep repeating this process until you see no soap bubbles in the rinse. Once they are stripped, if they still smell, you need to use something to kill the bacteria. You can use bleach, color-safe bleach, vinegar, antibacterial something. You could do a soak to soak your diapers in it, or another wash cycle where it is added. Just make sure it is completely rinsed out.
The other advice you have been given is great too. Sunning works if you have the time and a place to do it. If you have any questions, please let me know. I can also do the stripping for you if you are interested.
I've heard putting plain white vinegar in with your detergent neutralizes the amonia smell. I don't know exactly how much, maybe a cup for a full load. I do it when my kids have accidents because I can't stand stinky underwear and it always seems to work. Good luck!
I cloth diapered both of my kids ;-) So what you need to do is strip them and hang them on the line.
So get a bottle of Dawn Dish Detergent. Only use this to wash your diapers (no other cleansers will keep them this clean really!)It only takes a squirt for the whole load. Do one hot pre-rinse and then do one hot wash. Never use fabric softner as it makes them smell and repell liquid. Never use bleach as it breaks down the fibers and makes less absorb less. You may need to wash several cycles till you get all of the old detergent out. Then take them outside and hang them to dry so that the sun can bleach them. Also so smaller loads, with one child I tried to do a load every other day, less diaps in the tank the better they rinse.
First, Congrats on being eco conscience.....that's marvelous, I don't know how you do it! I used disposable diapers 23 years ago so I can't imagine. But I do remember my sister using cloth for her kids and I think a big issue is the diaper pail, always keeping it clean and we had to rinse all diapers ALOT and put them in the pail with bleach I believe.....you have to kill the germs or you get the smell and the biggest issue is that you can really spread illness if you dont do this correctly, hence the bleach. I don't see how you can wait and wash "every three days" - how many diapers do you own? Seems like it would be a nightly chore, hot water, bleach and extra rinse.....probably more expensive than disposable diapers! God Bless you for trying though.
Jessica, I take care of my invalid mother-in-law and I had to start dealing with this with ALL of her clothes. I was told to use a little less detergent and ADD a handful of baking soda to the laundry. It works! I think it also helps whiten the clothes. I would suggest you wash the diapers alone and not with any other laundry.
Often, it's a detergent issue! Too much and residue still left. DON'T use Dawn as another poster mentioned! It will take about 15 or 20 washes to get the Dawn dish detergent out! DON'T USE BLEACH. As others mentioned, use the sun, some baking soda in first cycle. To strip all residues off the diapers, wash them in plain HOT water over and over until you see absolutely NO sign of bubbles. Often, it's because there is still residue of detergent that causes the stink. It may be the type of detergent you are using as well. Typical way to wash soiled diapers is an initial plain wash with Baking Soda. Then wash in longest hottest cycle with a small amount of detergent (Try using a clean rinsing detergent such as Allen's Naturally, Charlie's Soap, or plain enzyme free Bio-Kleen or sports wash - again enzyme free). Then do one or two plain hot rinses until there are no bubbles at all. (You may use a little white vinegar in rinse for ph balance and softening). Don't use fabric softener, it will repel liquids and hold stink. Wash at least every other day! Here's a website that has a good section on washing cloth diapers - type of detergent to use, how to wash, and troubleshooting:
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/washing-diapers.htm
Hope this helps,
Monica (mom to 8)
I too used cloth diapers many many years ago. I would always soak mine in a little bleach water until I washed them. Mine never smelled, but I have a front loading washer now and sometimes the whites have a musty smell. Someone told me to add 1 Tablespoon vinegar to the wash and that eliminated the whole problem.you might try the vinegar, it might do the trick. Good Luck.
I always used vinegar in my last rinse for all my baby clothes just to protect them from any residue of detergents. It should neutrilize the water. Ginger W
Jessica I'm a mother of 3 adults 38,40.42 and grandmother of 7 and grt.grandmother of 1 never experience disposable diapers with my children.love cloth diapers.Try prewashing in baking soda and Tide washing powder with a little bleach but be sure rinse real well,good luck
I've been using cloth diapers for awhile. So glad to see someone else. Smelly diapers usually mean too much soap. Run them through a plain, hot wash until all evidence of detergent is gone (no bubbles). Baking soda in the wash will help. Sunlight is fabulous for smells and for stains. Be careful with bleach and vinegar, they can do more harm than good.
Cloth diapers need to be washed every day. Also, rinse the diapers before washing them, that will help disperse the amonia smell.
My 24year old daughter wore only cloth. Your best friend is Borax!!! First, set up a pail that has a solution of water and Borax. After any solid waste is rinsed out in the toilet, put both wet and dirty diapers in the pail with the Borax solution. Keep them there until you wash the next load. Drain the Borax water into the toilet then head for the washer. I had five dozen and washed every other day. I never used any bleach, vinegar or baking soda when I washed them. Only Borax and Dreft and HOT water for both wash and rinse. The final and most important step??? Line dry them as often as possible. The sun naturally freshens and bleaches. Never had a problem with smell and my daughter, who always had a rash with disposables, never had a rash from harsh chemicals. I am still using those diapers today!! They are the best polishing rags for silver, brass, copper and cars. Good luck.
Jessica, I would recommend using baking soda or some type of detergent that will aid in the smell and wash them in hot water. I think the bleach is fine and if you think it might be an irritant to the baby, do an extra rinse cycle.
Hi Jessica...
Back in the dark ages, I used cloth diapers and my husbands grandmother always commented on how pretty and white my diapers were (that was a huge compliment in my opinion and made me so proud, as I was a teen mom), but what I use to do is soak the diapers in a tub or bucket of BIZ solution! You can go a couple of days worth...then drain these and if they are really soiled run through just a regular load with a little detergent like Dreft. THEN, wash again in HOT water with the detergent and biz again if you feel necessary..rinse twice in cold water and I only had one way to dry and that was on the line. What all the other posts say about the sun bleaching is correct. The dryer will only set in stains and odor. I agree with the vinegar and baking soda...NO BLEACH!! In the winter you will have to use the dryer most likely, but if you soak in biz, it should take care of the problem! Good Luck!!!
Use Chlorox every time, then put through a second wash cycle, with 1 cup of white vinegar -- it is slightly acidic, while Chlorox is fairly basic, so this will put the pH back to somewhat normal. Anytime something is really dirty I usually give it a second cycle.
You also might want to hang the diapters outdoors some too, nothing like fresh air!!. If you don't have a clothes line, clothes pin them to hangers, and hang them in your back yard trees. It will give the neighbors a giggle too!!
Annie
I've seen websites recommeding adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash or doing a prewash cylce with 1/2-1 cup of baking soda before your regular wash. The baking soda should help get rid of the smell. Good Luck!